Why A Mormon Is Perfectly Suited To Be President

Earlier, we published an op-ed from a contributor entitled
"Why
I Don't Think A Mormon Should Be President." The author
argued that because Mormonism encourages a divinely inspired
personal view of morality and truth Mormons don't separate church
from state. Matt Hopkins, a Mormon living in San Francisco,
rejects this argument and responds below.

Mormons are unlikely patriots. We are a faith that was founded in
the youth of the nation, forged in the desert of the West, and
matured along with the country that we call home. Our history is
complicated, but consistently we have proved loyal to the United
States of America.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, better known as
Mormonism, started in New York, moved to the midwest and
eventually settled what is now known as Utah. We made these moves
not because we wanted to be secretive, but because we were
persecuted for our faith. In the land of freedom of religion, it
was actually legal to shoot a Mormon on site in Missouri from
1838 until 1976. I'm not making that up, look up Missouri
Executive Order 44.

Even though we left the United States to practice our faith in
peace, we never left our patriotism behind. In 1846-47 the Mormon
church provided approximately 500 men to the United States
Government to serve in the Mexican-American War. The group, known
as the Mormon Battalion, would march almost 2,000 miles for
the United States government. Men from that battalion would
become instrumental in settling the western United States.

Our faith teaches us that the Constitution and its writers were
divinely inspired. Our scripture
says the following concerning the rule of law:

"...that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that
principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges,
belongs to all mankind..."

"We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and
magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."

We appreciate the rule of law, because we know what it is like to
live in a land without it. We know the principles in the founding
documents of the United States are so important because we were
deprived of them. Regardless of political affiliation, embedded
in the Mormon faith is a belief that we must uphold the rule of
law. Mormons, both Democrats and Republicans, have served in
public office for years. Harry Reid is a member and I would write
this if he was running for president too. If you don't like Mitt
Romney, that is one thing, but citing his Mormonism as a
disqualification for the office is just lazy.

I could give you a list of stereotypical Mormon attributes for
why a Mormon would be a good president. I could explain how our
two year missions shape us, and I could talk about the selfless
service inherent in Mormon beliefs, but none of that matters. In
the end it is the President's job to preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of the United States. Anything else is, well,
poppycock.